This application relates generally to wireless mobile communication devices, and in particular to providing control of communication connections for such devices.
Many known wireless mobile communication devices (“mobile devices”) support different types of communication network connections and data exchange with different information sources or destination systems. For example, modern mobile telephones are often enabled for both data and voice communications and typically exchange both public and private information with remote communication equipment, including web servers on the Internet and data servers associated with a user's employer, for example.
Private information such as data obtained from a corporate data server in a private network is normally protected during transfer to a mobile device via secure connections, encryption, digital signatures, or some combination thereof, thereby effectively extending information security measures implemented at the corporate data server to the mobile device. However, an owner or source of the private information may wish to prevent transfer of the information outside the mobile device. On known mobile devices which also support communication with other entities external to the corporate data server and private network, it is possible for a software application to open a connection or communication “pipe” with both the corporate data server and an external entity and then funnel private information from the corporate data server to the external entity. Such a “split-pipe” attack could potentially be mounted by a software application downloaded by a mobile device user or a virus, for example.
Therefore, there remains a need for a system and method of connection control for mobile devices.